Prosecco on draft at Ginger Man

The Ginger Man in Albany has begun serving prosecco on tap. Made by Italy’s Montalvini winery, the prosecco does not have a formal name, which allows restaurants to personalize it. The Ginger Man is calling it Cuvée Zenzero (zenzero meaning “ginger” in Italian). It costs $8 a glass. The kegs are imported by New York City’s T. Edward Wines and sold to about 10 places in the New York area.

Wines on tap are widely popular in larger markets but have just begun to arrive in the Capital Region. The Lucas Confectionery & Wine Bar in Troy has featured three draft wines since opening in November. Confectionery owner Vic Christopher says his wines on tap have been “incredibly popular — people love it.”

Among the advantages of keg wine are that it is hermetically sealed, making the last glass theoretically as fresh as the first, and restaurants are able to offer lower prices on glasses and carafes/pitchers than they would from a bottled product. There is also an environmental benefit as well, given that a single keg replaces more than two cases of 750ml bottles.1

The Ginger Man plans to add pitchers and prosecco-based cocktails soon. The restaurant is located at 234 Western Ave. Call 427-5963 for reservations.

Steve Barnes

4 Responses

The Red Tail Riesling on tap at the Confectionery is an amazing value – $6 a glass and it’s really quite good, not a typical sweet Riesling at all. I imagine the price is due to it being on tap and the wine tastes so good just because it’s a good wine, but either way I am happy to keep drinking it!

Haven’t tried the reds on tap yet but I’m sure I’ll get tired of the Riesling one day. And if I ever get down to the Ginger Man I’ll try their prosecco too! Actually, I wish that the Confectionery had a sparkling wine on tap. I am pretty sure my fiancee would drink that to the exclusion of everything else.

I’m sure some of you folks are familiar with Nigella Lawson – so delightfully Britsh – with a passionate Italian soul. Nigella is a huge fan of prosecco and says in her home they call it Prozacco for its spirit lifting ability.